We thank the distinguished panelists for their insightful presentations. We also thank the Secretariat for its Report on the review of implementation of outcomes of the World Summit on Information Society.

As the report has indicated, many of the digital technologies at the time of World Summits on Information Society in 2003 and 2005, apart from transforming the world beyond recognition have been transformed themselves over the past two decades or so. However the underlying principles as recognized by WSIS are as relevant as ever. Most importantly, the aspirations and goals as set out in the WSIS remain as important – although yet to be realized in their totality. We can rather say that developmental and economic dimensions of digital technologies are mostly unfulfilled. This is true for the vast majority of developing countries but also for huge number of people in developed countries.

As we have been reminded by experts in this session of the Commission, structure of frontier technology industry as digital platforms, being highly centralized, creates inequalities rather than distribute economic gains from the development of these technologies. Rightfully then there have been calls to regulate digital platforms but also to overhaul regulation system itself which is seen as inadequate for a digital era. However, for fair distribution of economic gains much more is required to be done at the international level also as digital economy is inextricably globalized than any other form especially when the data is flowing freely.

Fortunately we have a blueprint and guidance from the Tunis Agenda on the work to be done at the international level. However, unfortunately enhanced cooperation remains largely unfulfilled especially providing governments equal footing in decision-making over all issues concerning the Internet. It therefore requires our immediate and serious attention given the complexity and urgency of issues involved. We should not let “enhanced cooperation” become digital technologies’ equivalent of Doha Development Agenda.

We call everyone involved to make progress on action-oriented recommendations in the CSTD/ECOSOC resolution on the review of WSIS. Its indeed tragic to see this resolution set in the past and not move forward meaningfully when the topic of our discussion itself is “rapid technological advancement”.